Your Brain Is Talking; You’re Listening

“I want to get strong enough to climb the rope”, my client said.  

That’s how it started: a statement, a certain amount of strength

and a lot of ambition. “Ok”, I said, “we have work to do.”

I did not try to talk him out of it.

Naming your goal out loud intensifies it. It marshals forces in your

brain to formulate a plan, with success in mind. This is why

stating your intentions is important. Our brain listens, and responds

to everything we say. It doesn’t judge, it doesn’t criticize, it doesn’t

sort the stupid from the smart statement. It responds. To everything.

Every time you say: I can’t do that, I’m not strong enough, I’m too old, fat, or uncoordinated, your brain is listening. And making it come true. We defeat ourselves with our own voice. In the emotion of thinking you are a failure or a success at something, you will be proved right. By your own admission.

We forget trial and error. We want everything to happen naturally, without the pain of failures to achieve success. We age before we need to, and our voice isn’t helping.

Stop saying those things. It is a mistaken assumption, narrowed focus, and faulty reasoning. Stop saying out loud that you can’t, and start asking questions. How can I do that? What would it take? What kind of progress, even small, can I make today? And pat yourself on the back for any progress. It all matters, because everything all the time matters, and it’s all related to how well you age.

Climbing a rope is about strength, leverage, counter-balancing, coordination, encouragement, belief, and practice. You need a plan. Which we had. Day by day I coached while he worked on strength, better body awareness, coordination drills while I encouraged small victories. Upper body strength, grip strength, abdominal strength; a belief that he could succeed.

I coached, he practiced. Some days, he climbed three or four feet before retreating. Other days, he barely stood on the rope, in position, two inches from the ground. Each individual day doesn’t matter. He continued the work. All the days together mattered, and one day, he was ready. And vanity played it’s part as well. I love vanity. I offered to photograph him on the rope. Well, he wasn’t going to be photographed near the floor, so as I readied the camera, up he scrambled. Thirteen feet in the air. Looking pleased as the Cheshire Cat.

Take a good look at this guy. This is my client, who 71 years old. He ROCKS!

Now here’s your question: what’s things are you saying to yourself that are holding you back? You wouldn’t let someone talk to you the way you talk to yourself, so stop. Start listening to the words that come out of your mouth, and start saying smarter things.

That’s Aging Intelligently.